Every Texas pharmacist knows that theirs is a profession that takes a great deal of effort to enter and remains demanding to maintain. From prescription errors to slipping into substance abuse due to easy availability, the practice of pharmacology has a vast number of potential pitfalls, many of which may lead to professional complaints. Such complaints come with the potential for severe discipline doled out by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, including the possibility of complete licensure revocation. While there is no failsafe—after all, complaints happen when professionals are not at fault and even when they have not at all engaged in the behavior alleged—there are certain behaviors a Texas pharmacist can avoid in order to decrease the likelihood of receiving a career-damaging complaint.
One of these—it almost goes without saying—is for a pharmacist to do everything they can to avoid giving their patients either the wrong medications or incorrect dosages of the right medications. This, along with making sure to provide verbal counseling, assessing a patient’s existing allergies, and being sure to take the proper action if a physician erroneously prescribes an inappropriate dose of a medication or if a patient overuses drugs to a clinically significant degree, can ward off accusations of incompetence.
Another is to ensure that they maintain proper records of medication amounts and keep a watchful eye on other pharmacists and staff members to ensure they do not abuse or sell drugs under the table. These actions can help avoid coming up short on controlled substances during an accountability audit, which is a quick road to being stripped of licensure.
Speaking of non-pharmacist staff: a pharmacist should take care to be sure they are not performing duties for which a license is required.
If a Texas pharmacist finds that a complaint has been lodged against them, they should contact an experienced professional license defense attorney at the earliest possible moment. The response letter that the Board requests in their initial notification of complaint is the first step in a proper defense strategy, and is best prepared by someone familiar with the complaint process’s ins-and-outs. If you need such assistance crafting a response letter and preparing the defense of your pharmacology license, BERTOLINO LLP can help. We have experienced license defense attorneys and we know how to navigate the appeals process before the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, and we are skilled at assisting professionals in determining the course of action that will be beneficial or detrimental to their career depending on the particular situation.
With offices in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio, we serve medical professional clients all over the state. Contact us today or call (512) 476-5757 and schedule a case evaluation.
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